Of Wings and Wishes
by neyma
Summary: AU - Her town having been attacked and burned, Karin and her twin have been taken by slavers. Before managing to escape alone, she promised to find and get her sister back no matter what. Thus starts her journey to track down the source of human trafficking within the kingdom to free her sister. Along the way she paves the path for her new life, trying to catch up to her past.
1. The jump

I couldn't help it, I wanted to post it! And I know it's going to take AGES before I'll be able to finish this story! *sighs*

Well, this is a HitsuKarin fic that has been sitting in my secret files for ages. As the original text was written in Finnish, I beg your pardon if there are any weird phrases within the text. I did my best translating it and even added some stuff that sound so much better in English than they would in Finnish.

R&R please, and all that. Let's get on with it!

* * *

A long, damned excuse of a road headed to the far north. Were one to find themselves trecking along on it, there's surely something wrong with their life. And that's underestimating it.

The snow readily hid the tracks of the small caravan under it's icy veil. A line of poorly clothed, shackled people trudged against the slashing winds, following a man riding a horse. After the line came three other men, horseback aswell. Every now and then someone would trip and fall down, having to endure a slash from a whip or sometimes two. A blue haired man, Grimmjow, was especially enjoying using his weapon.

A youngster with raven hair tripped and almost toppled over but the girl next to her just managed to keep her upright. "Karin", she whispered anxiously, "try to hold on!"

Grimmjow showed up next to them. "Listen to your sister, brat!"he sneered, "you're slowing us down." The whip lashed again and Karin had to bite her lip to prevent any noise permeating from her mouth as she felt the pain of the whip on her arm. Even through their winter clothes, thick enough to keep them alive in the weather, the hit hurt.

"Asshole", she muttered to herself, and was awarded another hit from the whip.

That night as they were setting camp for the night, a fox faced man walked around checking the shackles and doing additional knots with ropes to make sure no one would escape. He stayed with Karin and Yuzu for a moment, whispering something to the twins with a wicked grin. Leaving soon, he had Karin glaring after him looking uncertain. Even then, she decided to take her chances and turned to her sister who was watching her in desperation. "Karin, don't tell me you're really going to go through with it! It's obviously a trap to entertain him!"

Karin snorted. "Yes, it's a trap, but it's Gin's trap. Knowing him the chance to succeed is one out of hundred, not non-existent. He wants to enjoy his little games."

Worried, Yuzu kept watching her. "I don't know... I'm scared he..." She got a smile from her sister, and an answer to his unfinished uttering:

"In all honesty, I don't think both of us could do it. Besides, I'm the one who always wins the gambles." She petted the light haired twin affectionately. "I will come to find you though, don't worry. I can't do it alone though. So I'll have to find Ichi-nii, and any other help I can get."

They were given their small supper, and as per usual, Karin forced half her portion to her sister. At least that was her attempt - Yuzu glared at her. "Tonight, _you're_ the one who needs this! Don't you dare try to talk against me!" Karin was about to start arguing but seeing the look in her sister's eyes - the one of pain, worry and stubborness - she simply nodded.

"I'll enjoy it then. Thank you. You really are my other half." Yuzu simply smiled with teary eyes.

Soon the prisoners were ordered to sleep and the two girls curled up next to each other, cuddling for warmth. Yuzu's back was against the fire shielding her sister from other's sight. The thickening snowfall was the only witness to their silent goodbye. Karin looked her sister in the eyes. "Yuzu, goodbye... No, I'll see you soon. I don't know how long it's going to take, but I _will_ find you!"

Yuzu grinned to her and planted a small kiss on her forehead, praying for a succesfull escape for her sister. "I can handle myself. I'll see you soon, Karin." She lied down and watched as her sister's form disappeared after a couple of meters, the snow caressing the footprints before hiding them from view. Closing her eyes, she prayed again for any deities to hear her, and attempted to fall asleep.

The fox faced man, Gin Ichimaru, had his constant smile to wiped a crack. "Let the hunt begin, lil' Kurosaki. He stood up and went to alarm the escape of one of the prisoners.

The snow was too deep for her to be able to run. Karin strided towards the riverbank Gin had told her was close by. If she could only pass it, her escape would be a success. After that, she'd only have to survive somehow.

The loud howling cut her train of thought. Even though the noise still sounded far away, she knew it was probably because of the approaching blizzard. The girl huffed. "Oh, screw you Gin! You could have given me a little bit more time!" Hastening her steps as much as she could, she narrowed her eyes trying to see ahead of her.

It didn't take her long to get to the riverbank. Swallowing Karin looked down and saw that rather than a riverbank, in front of her was a canyon several dozen meters deep, and a harsh, icy river running at the bottom of it. It was impossible to cross, the distance being several meters.

A yell was heard behind her and Grimmjow appeared from within the snow. He had a sword in one hand while the other held a leash of a dog, the one that had sniffed her way to the girl and was now growling at her. "Too bad", the man roared over the wind, "this is as far as you get!"

Baring her teeth like a cornered animal Karin backed down to the border between the ground and a long, cold fall. She heard a screech somewhere close, but paid no attention to it. Not that she could have even recognized the source. Right then the only thing she could focus on was the threat infront of her. Grinning slightly she sneered back to the man:

"Yeah, I won't be able to cross it. But I'll be damned if I won't be able to jump." With that she jumped off the cliff before the man or the dog could catch her. The moment she was falling the wind slapped her hard in the face and she felt like a rag doll. Bracing herself for the impact, she awaited the cold embrace of the water below her. Instead, a stunning force hit her side knocking the air out of her lungs. With the movement came the same screech from before, and suddenly she was moving along the canyon, the river being left behind as their altitude increased. Struggling to breath Karin tried to make some sense of what was happening but the whipping of the wind forced her eyes shut, and she gritted her teeth together holding on for dear life to whatever was grabbing _her._

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Now, how did you like it? This was a short chapter, but really, it was more of a prology than a chapter. No matter, I liked it, but I like the following chapters even more. There's no way I'm going to be asking for certain amount of reviews or anything, but it would be great if I got some feedback on this.


	2. The fever

Chapter 2

The confused and freezing girl didn't have the slightest idea of how long the flight lasted. The wind ripped her hair and snow gathered on her garbs, melting first and then freezing again while more and more piled on her. She couldn't open her eyes against the wrath of nature, nor could she feel anything much anymore.

So she didn't realize when their speed started to slow and she was suddenly cradled like a small baby. A moment later a deep silence fell on her ears. The sound of the wind had finally ceased. Too tired to open her eyes to try to figure out where she was, she succumbed to the dark nothingness.

When the darkness finally lifted from her eyes, she found herself blearily looking at a rocky wall. 'Am I in a cave?' she wondered blinking sleepily. Her throat felt sore, but she was warm and comfortable and a small smile inched it's way on her lips. After a while her thoughts gathered enough for her to realize what this meant. Karin snapped her eyes wide and took in her surroundings. A small fire was on her right hand side, crackling softly and sending warmth over to her. She was lying on top of dry grass and moss, a makeshift bed of some kind. She found her clothes lying next to the fire and reached her hand over to feel them. _'They're still wet'_, she wondered before the implications hit her.

"My clothes!"

A warm puff of air to her neck sent shivers down her spine and she froze on the spot. It was only now she realized why she was so incredibly warm - a slender hand had been thrown over her waist, and someone was lying so damn close to her naked body... Scratch that, someone was cuddling her from behind!

_'What's going on! What is this... this... person! What are they doing! I swear to gods, if someone has done something to me when I was asleep, I'm so going to drown them in the nearest lake I find!'_ she ranted in her mind when suddenly the hand or her waist moved, withdrawing and she shivered again, this time because of the sudden onslaught of cold air on her body. Craddled her hands to her chest and she whipped around to see who was behind her.

Cold, teal eyes met the indigo. Karin stared at the boy laying in front of her. Very much nude boy, she realized blushing. Fighting to keep her eyes towards the other's face, she took a good look. He had beautiful eyes and an unruly mop of white hair stood up in every direction possible. His face, while young, held strong and was pale beyond words.

_'He is definitely handsome'_, a part of Karin's mind noted gleefully before she smacked it back to the back of her mind.

She noticed the boy was studying her just as intently and felt her blush deepen. Pulling her feet against her chest she glanced away trying to get her thoughts back together. From the corner of her eyes Karin saw the young man stand up and nearly had an eyeful of him but held her gaze. She was awarded a sudden darkness and a weight on her making her gasp. Coughing she grabbed the offending item off her only to realize that he had chucked her the hide that had been covering both of them.

Without a word the young man stalked off and disappeared around the corner. "Oh god, I'm stuck in a cave with a whacko nudist!" she groaned. Surely he wouldn't go outdoors without a single garb of clothing.

Her companion didn't make a sound nor did he come back. Karin felt very lonely, all of a sudden. She huffed and laid back on the bed, pulling the hide over her. Still feeling cold, she inched a bit closer to the fire, deciding to wait for the boy to come back. Her body cooperated with her for only a few minutes before she nodded off again.

When the boy got back, she was in a deep sleep, shivering from the rising fever. Standing there for a moment, looking undecided, he finally slipped under the hide and wrapped his arms around her petite form once again. There was nothing he could do about the fever, other than offer her comfort.

* * *

Karin rested for days, her mind all around the place. She dreamed of her village, of her childhood. Her nightmares took the form of the raid on the village, the dead bodies of those who tried to fight back, and then the caravan. She dreamed of Yuzu.

She woke up several times a day, every time as confused as on the first day. Somehow, though, she seemed to accept the closeness of the young man and she didn't shy away from him after the first few times she woke up to him holding her. Her mysterious companion would bring her snow from outside so she could drink, and tried offering her meat aswell. She was unable to eat it though, and the boy was perplexed as to what she would eat if not meat. She felt embarrassed for having to explain that it took too much effort to chew it. On third day he came and offered her berries, and later on the same day she found herself eating porridge.

Even through her feverish haze she had to question where did he get the porridge. As far as she knew, the man lived alone

Through those days Toshiro was rarely in the cave when Karin woke up. When he was there, he kept walking back and forth as if anxious to leave. Growing annoyed with the constant pacing she finally shooed him away, promising she would be fine on her own. Next night found her alone the fire having run out and for a moment she was scared the man had left her. A few hours passed before he came back and slipped under the hide as if he had never been gone. A small bond of trust had somehow been born between those two.

After six long days of dreams and nightmares, sudden wake ups and constantly falling asleep, Karin's fever relished it's lingering hold. While still feeling weak, she finally felt like she had a working head on her shoulders and spent her time pondering her current predicament. She heard her companion making his way through the long cave and opened her mouth to start bombarding him with the questions plaguing her mind. That intention dried on her tongue when she saw what theman dropped in front of the fire.

"What on _earth_ happened to that deer!" she cursed, absolutely horrified. The animal had been relatively large, but right now it's front body was missing, the white spine sticking out of the body. It wa as if the body had been ripped in half. Karin hoped vehemently the animal had been dead when that happened. She looked incredulously at the snowhead who simply shrugged and pushed the body towards her with his feet.

"Err... this is for me then?" she asked, trying not to breath in the stench of the still warm intestines. The young man nodded and scratched his side. Karin had requested the boy to wear something to hide his parts, and with a roll of eyes and a sigh he had taken to wear a linen cloth around his waist. Apparently it was itching him now, she noted slightly amused.

Turning her attention back to the poor deer she scratched her head and looked around in the cave. "Have you got any tools for skinning? Knife or something?"

Nodding the young man pointed to the corner of the of the cave where she saw, after some squinting, a pile of stones. Moving over she found some of them had a sharp edge to them and fit quite nicely to her hand. Now armed she moved back to the body and recollecting her memories of the times she had gone hunting with her big brother, she started the messy work.

Working with the meat wasn't easy nor fast, not with her current tools. While taking part the meat and bones she started mulling over her previous questions and decided to finally voice them. "I know this is stupid to ask now after all these days, but who are you?" That question was probably the most prominent right now, considering how she was spending time with a total stranger. After not getting any answer she frowned and looked up to him.

The man was rubbing his arm while staring at her. Hesitantly he opened his mouth but made no sound. This annoyed Karin to the point she snarled at him. "Can't you even give me your name, after all these days?" Now he was frowning aswell and opened his mouth again, closed it and looked aggravated. Then he pointed to his throat and shook his head.

A little confused Karin cocked an eyebrow. "It couldn't be... that you can't speak?" Nodding resolutely the man turned his face away looking mildly offended. Karin sighed and nearly rubbed her eyes with her bloody hand, stopping herself just in time. "I'm sorry for getting angry, then." Shrugging the man turned to look at her work again.

She couldn't keep calling him 'hey you' all the time, and wondered over a name to call him by. "Hey... Shiro-kun? That would mean white, fits your hair." This immediately drew a scowl from him and Karin laughed. "No Shiro then? Well, how about, I know! _To_? It means winter in the old language, doesn't it. Actually, combining that with Shiro - Toshiro. How would that sound to you?"

Blinking the man seemed to think over the name and then nodded his head. That made Karin grin. "So, from now on I'll call you Toshiro! My name is Karin, Karin Kurosaki. You'd better remember it!"

Something flickered in Toshiro's eyes and she realised he was actually amused with her. Scoffing she poked her tongue at him before continuing with the skinning.

The new piece of information, namely Toshiro's mutedness, was on top of her mind, pushing away her earlier thoughts once again. What she didn't understand was his inability to comprehend why something like lack of clothing bothered her. It was like the youngster paid no attention to normal human conduct. He hadn't fought against using his waist cloth though, so he was aware of the problem. This made her wonder if she had ever lived amongst other humans.

Although Karin had picked up on his habit of not wearing clothes during her feverish days. Unwilling to put on her clothes due to the heavy sweating she had spent her days mainly undressed, staying under the hide when the man was around. Her lack of clothing didn't seem to bother her companion either, she realized bemused. Definitely not your normal young man.

Sighing she finished cutting up the meat and set most of it to dry while some of the meat was placed on the rocks close to the fire. Afterwards she went to the cave entrance and scrubbed her body with the white snow to clean herself of the gore on her skin, also getting rid of the sweat. Finally happy with her condition she hurried back and huddled close to the fire, waiting for the meat to cook before devouring her meal. Suddenly she halted and looked at Toshiro. With some hesitation she handed over a piece of cooked meat which he took slowly, hanging the piece of meat in his hand. He sniffed it cautiously before tasting it.

Karin nearly laughed at the look on his face. He seemed astonished and even a bit disgusted but ate the meat nonetheless. He wouldn't take any more though, even though she offered it a few times. He acted a lot like an animal, she thought.

When she finally finished her small meal, she stole a glance at Toshiro. The boy was surprisingly still, sitting in front of the fire. His eyes were closed, and briefly she wondered what was going through his head. Humming quitely she retreated back under the covers.'

"Toshiro, how did I end up in here?" she asked quietly. The man opened his eyes slightly but only shrugged. She had to snort to herself. It was stupid to ask such a question from a mute. Instead of prodding on about the subject she moved to her next question. "Do you think you could get me a map of some sort?" This confused the man, and she elaborated: "I need to know where I am, and where to go so that I could find the caravan. And Yuzu. Especially her. So if you can draw me a picture of our surroundings, or get one from somewhere..."

The man pondered on her question before nodding. He stood up and added a few branches of wood into the fire before heading off. Silently she watched him disappear around the corner.

Karin found she got bored of the silence quickly. Absentmindedly she added some branches to the fire and watched the thin smoke curl up and disappear. She figured there must have been a small nook for the air to go through. Sighing loudly she waited. Hours passed, and at some point she fell asleep.

When she woke up, it was completely dark in the cave, the fire had run out without anyone tending to it. The cold was rolling down the cave in waves and she shivered. Toshiro had never been gone for so long and she was getting worried. Swearing aloud she scampered around trying to feel for her clothes when she finally heard footsteps. "Toshiro?" she called out frantically and got a humm in answer. "Oh, thank the gods!"

Soon there was a flicker and the fire started up again, slowly spreading to the small sprigs. Toshiro's face and the snowy hair, dripping wet, came to her view and Karin nearly slapped him. Catching herself in time tho, she just flicked his hair. "Have you got any idea how worried I was! You just disappeared, you've never been gone longer than a couple hours! I thought... that something that happened to you!" She was yelling in the end, holding back the burning feeling in her eyes.

Toshiro merely lifted his eyebrow making her scowl and turn away from him. Her attention was caught with the small thud when she saw something land on the ground in front of her. There sat a small leather bag. Tentatively Karin opened it and found a rolled up parchment. Her anger forgotten for the moment, she rolled it open and took a good look at it.

He had indeed gotten Karin a map. It displayed the entire kingdom of Rukongai, giving her a view of her own country for the first time in her life. She was awed by the little details on it and started searching for her own village, feeling like a little kid. To her frustration the small village wasn't even mentioned on the map. The thought of their lives having been so insignificant made her anger surface again.

A slender finger made it into her view and pointed to a spot in the far north eastern corner of the map. Glancing up Karin asked: "Is that where we are right now?" Toshiro nodded and Karin pursed her lips. Studying the area she saw the river move southwest close to their location. 'That must be the river I jumped down to', she figured and looked for the road they had been following. Squinting she identified the small line near the river as the blasted track. "Just where were they taking us?" she wondered more than a little confused. The road seemed to lead nowhere. Toshrio, however, tapped on the map again, to the middle of the mountains on the other side of the border. "Is there a pass there or something? To the neighboring kingdom?"

Toshiro shook his but made no other sign as to what could have waited at the end of the road.

Karin sighed and grabbed a blackened stick from the edge of the fire. Gingerly she marked their current location and the place where she figured she would find Yuzu. Satisfied, she smiled at Toshiro. "Thank you for getting this for me. I appreciate it."

The man nodded and poked at the map again. There was a small village there, she noted. "Is that where you want to head to?" Having this confirmed, she rolled the map up again and stretched. "When are we leaving then?"

* * *

**I have to say I wasn't very happy with how this turned out. On top of that, this is actually a mix of chapter 2 and 3, because I just kept adding stuff while translating it. *sighs* Anyways, thank you everyone for the favorites and follows. Send in some feedback about whatever you find good or bad.**

**Vvolley, I hope this answered some of your expectations. :)**


	3. The village

**Chapter 3**

They left the next day. Karin tried to tug her clothes more securely around herself, hoping for the action to ward off some of the cold the upcoming trip would onslaught on them. She was the first to leave the cave, padding to the entrance. When she left the shadows the sudden brightness made her shield her eyes. There was snow everywhere, and the bright sun reflected off the icy shell, the light glittering on the snow. Finally getting used to the brightness, Karin had a good look of the area.

The valley below them looked as if enchanted.

The cave was situated on a high cliff, and below them appeared a small valley. She could make a river running through it, although mostly frozen. There was a forest, the trees glimmering almost like they were covered with small diamonds. High mountains rose all around them, shielding it from the infiltrations of others. For someone like Toshiro, who loved solitude and silence, it must have been a dream come true.

From the corner of her eye she spied Toshiro stepping next to her, taking in the scene in front of them. Karin turned around to smile at him. "Your home is truly beautiful", were her only words to attempt to describe the miracle.

Toshiro nodded and looked almost content. Except, Karin realized, he wasn't wearing any clothes. "You idiot! What do you - hey, what do you think you're doing!" she screamed when she saw what he was about to do. "Stop!"

Not paying her any attention, the boy run off the cliff and disappeared from her sight. Dropping on her knees, Karin peered over the edge and instantly scrambled backwards when something dashed upwards into the sky, and Karin shielded her eyes trying to see what it was. Then she heard the familiar screech. "You're kidding me...", she mumbled in awe.

In front of her landed an icy white serpent, a dragon of the tales of old. The shimmering white scales reflected the light, leaving the trees below them in shame. A slender, beautiful tail whipped the air when the dragon landed on the cliff, thudding it's sole two arms on the ground. Muscles rippled and Karin saw the three long nails burrow in to the snow, while fourth one was facing backwards, giving the serpent a stable stance.

And then she saw the eyes, those beautiful teal orbs, gazing at her with the cold look she was so familiar with. "Toshiro..?"

Stretching out his long neck, the dragon she had named Toshiro screeched again before bringing his snout next to her and sniffing her. This was the action that brought her back to the moment. Annoyed, she swatted his muzzle and glared at the dragon. "Seriously, you really enjoy giving me heart attacks, don't you!"

The creature's lips pulled up, showing his long teeth. For some reason she got the impression he was actually amused with her, rather than angry. It was the closest to a smile she had ever gotten from him. "Really, if that's your smile, I don't want to know what your laugh is like." _'And now I know what or rather _who _happened to that poor deer.'_

Toshiro prodded the girl with his snout, obviously trying to tell her something. Karin scowled at him, demanding to know what was wrong now. For an answer she got shoved off the cliff.

The scream passed her lips before she could even realise what was happening. As if on repeat from several days ago, the ground approached her with a frightening speed when she was suddenly grabbed and they were flying.

"Toshiro, you sad excuse of a worm! Let me down - _NO, don't let me down_, or I'll make sure you'll never have cute little baby dragons! Never do that again! You hear me! If you push me off a cliff one more time I'm going to roast you!"

Running out of breath Karin gasped and held on for dear life. They were moving with a shocking speed, and she couldn't keep her eyes open. "Slow done, will you! I can't see a single thing!" Surprisingly he consented and slowed down. Karin cracked an eye open to take in the view below them.

They were high up, although not anywhere near the mountain tops. Karin knew how hard it was to breath there, and she supposed the same went for dragons. They had left the secret valley behind and right now there was only rock and snow everywhere to be seen.

First she was scared out of her wits, but soon she was laughing out loud. Toshiro seemed happy that the girl was enjoying herself so much. Screeching out he suddenly sped up and somersaulted in the air, making the girl scream and whoop in joy. This had him repeat the move again before they calmed down and continued their flight.

It took almost half hour before they saw the descend of the mountains ahead and then they were above snowy hills and forests. Every now and then there was a river below, gushing with incredible force, hacking against the icy walls and occasional rock. A few times she saw signs of human settlements, but Toshiro seemed to pass them determinedly.

"I'd imagine humans wouldn't take kindly to you, would they?" she suddenly asked quietly. Toshiro merely snorted to that. Soon after they started closing in to the ground and Karin saw a small village not too far away. She thought they'd land somewhere further away from human eyes, but to her surprise the dragon chose to circle around the village twice, screeching, before landing in the middle of it.

Like making a joke of her previous words, the villagers started flocking to them, waving their hands and shouting.

"Hyourinmaru is here!"

"Hey, he's with a girl!"

"Hyourinmaru's got a girlfriend!"

At the last one Toshiro, or Hyourinmaru as he seemed to be known in the village, sneered at them displaying his sharp teeth before settling Karin down on the ground carefully enough not to hurt her. Feeling a bit dizzy the girl held her hand against the white dragon and watched the people gathering around them.

All in all, the people seemed friendly and definitely curious about her. The way they discarded the huge dragon next to her in favour of studying her was a dead give away as to how often he must have visited the village.

After a lot of ogling from the crowd, a young woman, a few years older than her Karin surmised, broke out with a pile of clothes on her hands. "Here you go, Hyourinmaru!" she grinned when standing in front of them. Shrugging Karin's arm off him, Karin watched his teal eyes glow red for a moment and a blue light suddenly shone around him, making her avert her gaze. Moment later the white haired man was standing next to her and took the clothes the woman was handing him and pointedly watching to the side waiting for the nude man to dress up. Karin took this time to look over her in curiosity.

The woman was short, shorter than Karin, and a had a black hair in a tidy bun. Her eyes were deep brown, and sparkled with innocence Karin nearly envied. She was clearly a well behaving, sweet woman. In the middle of her inspection, the woman turned her gaze at Karin and smiled in a friendly way.

"Hello, I am Momo Hinamori. How are you feeling? You look a little tired, I have to say! Maybe we should move to the inn so that you could rest?"

Her quiet voice was just as sweet as Karin had expected, making her nod without another thought. Glancing at Toshiro to see he was dressed, the party started heading towards the large building ahead of them. The villagers chattered amongst themselves, patting Toshiro on the back in a cheerful way before dispersing to continue their work.

Momo led them to the inn, keeping the doors open till the two had stepped through before calling out. "Rangiku-san! Hyourinmaru and his, err, friend is here!"

Waiting for an answer for a moment, she sighed a little when no answer came. "She's probably drunk again", she apologized to the two of them before slipping behind the counter and into the room Karin figured was a kitchen, with the small peek she had had through the open door.

While waiting for the woman to come back, she looked around her. The inn was pretty large, with several tables sitting empty. There was a lit fireplace at the back of the room, creating a warm, comfy atmosphere. Shifting her attention back to the kitchen door she listened to a short conversation.

"Rangiku-san! Oi!"

"Wh-what?" another, slurred voice answered and then she could hear muffled talking. A moment later a loud yell sounded: "WHAT?! Hyourinmaru is with a _girl_? I just _got _to see this! Is it another dragon?"

Karin sweat dropped and glanced at Toshiro, who stood impassive staring at the fire in the fireplace. She guessed he must have been used to the antics of these villagers and wondered just when and how had he come to meet them.

The next second something came barrelling out of the kitchen and Karin found herself staring at the mop of white hair disappearing in the bosom of the whirlwind of a woman that had appeared. She saw the long, orange tresses cascading on her back, and her second thought was that this woman was tall. She was taller than Toshiro, who already stood a good head taller than Karin.

Just as suddenly as the woman had grasped Toshiro, she let him go and turned towards the already cautious Karin. Instead of hugging her like the young man gasping for air, she nearly waved her hand cheerily while introducing her. "Rangiku Matsumoto, the innkeeper of the village and residential drunk!"

"Er... I'm Karin, pleased to meet you?" It sounded more like a question, and frankly, she wasn't at all sure if she wanted to be acquainted with someone so bubbly and cheerful.

Rangiku just laughed her off and ushered them to a table before disappearing in the kitchen. Moment later she was back with a loaf of bread, some cheese, butter, and a jug that suspiciously smelled like spiced, mulled wine.

Noticing her gaze linger on the last item, Rangiku winked. "Nothing better to keep you warm during cold, dark winter! And you, may I add, seem like you really need it. Have you been sick recently?"

Karin nodded now staring at the bread feeling saliva gathering in her mouth at the smell of the freshly baked miracle. The moment it was laid down on the table the raven head attacked it voraciously, breaking off a piece and topping it with a slice of cheese before stuffing it in her mouth. Toshiro paid this no attention but the looks of Momo and Rangiku had her blush before slowing down on her eating. She mumbled an apology but Rangiku shook it off. "You're starving, it's no big deal! Just eat as much as you want, and don't worry about paying. We owe it to Hyourinmaru."

Curiosity peaked, Karin glanced at the young man, wondering what exactly had he done to them. It must have been something grand, considering the admiration he had from everyone in the village. She asked as much from Rangiku, but it was Momo who answered.

"It was years back when I was still a little child. He saved me and some of my friends from a pack of wolves. Honestly, though, I was so scared when I saw a huge dragon come out of nowhere and pretty much swallow the alpha wolf whole! I thought we were done for, but then he transformed to his human form and... Well, he took us back to the village and has been our revered guest since." She smiled lightly at the memory, giving the dragon an almost affectionate glance.

Karin hummed thoughtfully. "So Toshiro likes saving people then, I guess."

Momo cocked her head to the side. "Toshiro?" Karin explained the naming off handedly before inquiring about the name Hyourinmaru.

"We named him after a deity in an old legend of the two major deities. Centuries ago Hyourinmaru was one of the guardian deities of this land. He was a great dragon, as old as the sky and wise beyond imagination, and he ruled the season of winter. A fitting name, don't you think?" Momo giggled.

Karin nodded interested in the story. "You said two major deities. Who was the other one?"

"He was actually Hyourinmaru's counterpart, a great phoenix Hikakushin that ruled over summer. They were friends and comrades, but because of their powers they couldn't co-exist perpetually. So, they decided to meet twice a year, thus bringing us spring and autumn. There is actually a story about them, but I'm afraid I don't remember what happened. It was sad though, a sorrowful ending." Momo sat silent for a moment before clapping her hands. "So, how did you meet Toshiro?"

Karin was a bit surprised with the abrupt change of mood but complied nonetheless. This would be the first time she actually went through her story with an outsider, she realized.

"I lived in a small village Karakura. We were famous for our jewelcrafters. Even I know a little about crafting, actually, believe it or not. But a month ago... Gods, has it really been only a month? Our village was attacked by a group of bandits. A lot of my friends..." Karin swallowed loudly and shut her eyes. "Many were killed if they dared to take arms against the attackers. They burned our houses after having grabbed anything worth a coin. I was knocked out when I tried to protect my sister."

Momo and Rangiku stared in horror at the raven haired woman as she continued the story.

"We were sold to a band of slavers and taken towards the northern mountains. I'm not sure where they were planning on taking us." At this, she glanced at Toshiro quickly. "One of the slavers, named Gin Ichimaru..." She trailed off seeing the faces of the two women. "What's wrong?"

Momo looked at Rangiku who was pursing her lips in a tight line and seemingly contemplating what to tell. "Gin Ichimaru... used to live in this village." Ignoring the younger woman's pitying look she stared Karin straight in the eye. "He left years ago, to make a living he said. He was supposed to marry me but left when my father disapproved of the engagement."

Karin sat shell shocked. "You're kidding me..."

"Such a small world", Momo muttered placing her hand on her friend's shoulder.

Everyone was quiet after that. Feeling awkward, Karin decided to finish her story telling how she escaped and was saved by Toshiro. She cut her stay with him to a few short sentences, excluding all the seemingly embarrassing moments.

"You've had a rought month", Momo concluded. Rangiku nodded, still not saying anything preferring to stare off into space. Clearing her throat, Momo stood up. "Rangiku, I'm going now. I hope you'll sort things out with Karin?"

Accepting the strawberry blonde's second nod as an answer, she smiled briefly to Karin and Toshiro before hurrying off. Karin couldn't help but notice how Toshiro's gaze lingered after her, and made a mental note to tease him about it later.

* * *

**Ha-ha****, I told you he wouldn't be wearing any clothes in the beginning, MomoPeach! Although I think that 'attire' of a dragon is something a lot more preferable.**

_**Hikakushin **_**is a name I made up. I meant it to translate as Suncore, but I might be completely wrong. Never studied Japanese myself.**

**Anyways, thank you for all the follows and favorites, and especially great thanks to my reviewers! Any feedback, was it positive or negative, is welcome. I'm especially hoping for constructive criticism because I still feel a bit sluggish about writing.**


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